1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital recorder which is capable of recording, reproducing and/or editing an audio signal using digital techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a method of recording, reproducing and editing an audio signal, a magnetic recording and reproducing technique is employed in which an analog audio signal is recorded on a magnetic tape, and the recorded signal is reproduced and edited. Since this prior art involves a recording and reproducing process for a signal in an analog form, deterioration in sound quality is inevitable. In particular, the deterioration will be prominent when once-recorded audio signal is dubbed.
Further, use of the magnetic tape as a recording medium raises problems such that it takes much time to reach a target editing point on the magnetic tape, and editing requires that the target recording portion of the magnetic tape be physically cut and pasted or be copied on somewhere else before the editing is actually executed.
The problem of deterioration in sound quality can be overcome by employing a technical means that codes a signal into a digital form and records on a magnetic tape. However, there still remains a shortcoming concerning location of a starting point for edition and freedom of edition due to the use of a sequential-access type recording medium.
Recently, there has been proposed a solution to the conventional problems which uses a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk as a memory medium. For instance, refer to U.S. Ser. No. 07/690,710 filed on Apr. 24, 1991, inventor: Nobuo IIZUKA; U.S. Ser. No. 07/752,876 filed on Aug. 30, 1991, inventor: Atsushi MIYAKE; U.S. Ser. No. 07/795,983 filed on Nov. 22, 1991, inventor: Nobuo IIZUKA; and U.S. Ser. No. 07/807,053 filed on Dec. 12, 1991, inventor: Nobuo IIZUKA.
In reproducing audio data stored on an external memory medium such as hard disk or magneto-optical disk, one part of an audio signal is stored on one track of the external memory medium. In case that the one part should include a continuous soundless portion (a continuous silent portion), such technical solution has been proposed for efficient use of the track that another part is stored on the track where the soundless portion was stored.
When a plurality of different parts of audio signals are stored on one and the same track and only required parts are reproduced from among a plurality of the previously recorded parts of audio signals, a user is required to operate a mixing machine for muting and erasing parts other than the required parts of the audio signals. However, the operation of the mixing machine for muting and erasing the above parts needs troublesome work, and further it is difficult for reproducing only the required parts to execute this muting operation precisely on time. In addition, if a computer provided in the mixing machine or connected thereto is employed for controlling the mixing machine, various control signals shall be supplied from a digital recorder to the mixing machine, which will invite complex control operation and will be obstacles to a small sized apparatus.